This invention pertains generally to the production of carbon monoxide and more particularly to its production directly from carbon dioxide and solid carbon at high temperatures, by the following reaction: EQU C(s)+CO.sub.2 (g)=2CO(g)
An important commercial use of carbon monoxide is the production of phosgene according to the following reaction: EQU CO(g)+Cl.sub.2 (g)=COCl.sub.2 (g)
In the accompanying drawings, FIG. 1 shows theoretical effects of temperature and pressure on equilibrium yields of carbon dioxide produced in the foregoing reaction, as calculated by standard thermodynamic methods assuming ideal behavior and ignoring side reactions. It may be noted that essentially complete conversion of carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide theoretically occurs at temperatures greater than 1000.degree. C., if the total system pressure is one atmosphere, and that a temperature of 1600.degree. C. is high enough to produce almost pure carbon monoxide at system pressures as great as one hundred atmospheres.
Although plasma arc methods have been utilized for many years to effect various chemical reactions at high temperatures, systematic production of carbon monoxide of high purity in a plasma arc reactor, as contemplated by this invention, has not been achieved heretofore.